Vi And Ericsson Partner To Showcase The Power Of 5G To Transform Healthcare In India

As part of the ongoing 5G trials in India, Vodafone Idea Ltd. (VIL) and Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) have partnered to showcase the power of 5G to revolutionize the healthcare sector in India by showing how 5G connectivity can enable access to healthcare in remote parts of the country.

The 5G trial network set up by Vi on Govt allocated 3.5 GHz mid band & 26 GHz mmWave band in Pune, deploys Ericsson Radios and Ericsson Dual Mode Core based on cloud native technology comprising of 5G SA, 5G NSA & LTE packet core functions.

Based on the high data speed, low latency and reliability of 5G, a doctor located in an urban center can actually carry out an ultrasound scan on a patient who is in a remote rural location. This is being trialed by Vi using Ericsson’s 5G infrastructure to showcase the power of 5G to reach healthcare to remote parts of the country.

States Jagbir Singh, CTO, Vi, “Vi has developed a 5G ready network which builds on India’s fastest Vi GIGAnet network verified by Ookla. With our 5G trials now, we are leveraging the power of 5G to provide healthcare access to remote parts of the country, amongst a range of other use cases for enterprises and consumers. Speed and latency are critical to 5G services, and therefore, our focus has been to achieve throughputs which can effectively enable relevant 5G use cases for the Digital India  of tomorrow.”

As part of the ongoing demonstrations, Vi and Ericsson also demonstrated the Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and fixed wireless access (FWA) applications with 5G. “Enhanced mobile broadband and Fixed Wireless Access are expected to be the early use-cases for 5G in India. Over time, we expect more enterprise related use cases to come up leveraging the benefits of 5G in sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, education etc. The flexible Dual Mode Core set by Ericsson with Vi in Pune is helping enterprises leverage the network to deploy use cases like Remote video monitoring, Telemedicine, Digital twin, AR/VR etc. during the ongoing trials.” states Amarjeet Singh, Vice President, Ericsson.

With the launch of 5G, the digital transformation of enterprises in India will be further accelerated. 5G opens up opportunities for service providers beyond consumers to explore new revenue streams. Ericsson’s 5G Business Compass report estimates the total 5G-enabled B2B opportunity for Indian operators, across 10 industries, would be $17 billion USD by 2030. The top industries that are expected to leverage 5G for their digitalization include healthcare, manufacturing, energy and utilities, automotive and public safety.

About Vodafone Idea Limited

Vodafone Idea Limited is an Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group partnership. It is India’s leading telecom service provider. The Company provides pan India Voice and Data services across 2G, 3G and 4G platform. With the large spectrum portfolio to support the growing demand for data and voice, the company is committed to deliver delightful customer experiences and contribute towards creating a truly ‘Digital India’ by enabling millions of citizens to connect and build a better tomorrow. The Company is developing infrastructure to introduce newer and smarter technologies, making both retail and enterprise customers future ready with innovative offerings, conveniently accessible through an ecosystem of digital channels as well as extensive on-ground presence. The Company is listed on National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India.

The company offers products and services to its customers in India under the TM Brand name “Vi”.

For more information, please visit: www.MyVi.in and www.vodafoneidea.com

About Ericsson:

Ericsson enables communications service providers to capture the full value of connectivity. The company’s portfolio spans the business areas Networks, Digital Services, Managed Services and Emerging Business. It is designed to help our customers go digital, increase efficiency and find new revenue streams. Ericsson’s innovation investments have delivered the benefits of mobility and mobile broadband to billions of people globally. Ericsson stock is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and on Nasdaq New York. www.ericsson.com

Intel Partners With Glance To Showcase Its Latest Processor On Millions Of Smartphone Lock Screens Throughout India

* Glance’s innovative campaign helps Intel reach nearly 24 million users through captivating visuals, and engaging storytelling on the lock screen.

Glance, one of Southeast Asia’s largest lock screen content platforms, partnered with technology giant Intel, to launch an innovative campaign for the latter’s 11th Gen Intel Core processors on Glance’s platform available on smartphone lock screens. With over 150 million Indians spending an average of 22 minutes on Glance daily, the campaign has enabled Intel to generate product awareness and discovery among PC shoppers, through impactful storytelling, surfaced on the lock screens of millions of smartphones across the country. 

The objective of the campaign was to drive home the uniqueness of the 11th Gen Intel Core processors and to reach out to people actively looking for PCs, in an engaging manner. Intel’s intention was to go beyond the clutter of social media and to utilize the power of the lock screen to reach the right consumers. With its AI-powered content discovery and personalization, Glance ensured that the message was delivered to accurate sub-sets of potential consumers. Millions of lock screens were lit up with a burst of the Intel blue, alongside crisp communication and a strong call to action. The striking imagery of PCs integrated with the 11th Gen processor ruled the spotlight, grabbing eyeballs on the mobile’s front page. One tap led users directly to Intel’s retail site, driving web traffic for the brand, while also simplifying the consumer journey immensely.

The success of the campaign came through in its user engagement numbers, with the campaign recording an impressive reach of 23.8 million users and 61.16 million impressions. According to Brand Lift Insights research done by Kantar India, 79% of the users found the ads to be relevant and non-intrusive to their inherent experience on Glance and 54% of the audience found the ads to be enjoyable. The research also showed that 67% of the users associated the ad with the brand thus reflecting a high recall value owing to the captivating visuals and communication. 

“Brands are increasingly looking for newer, faster and innovative ways of reaching their consumers. We believe Glance, with its novel lock screen real estate and over 150 million active users, adds immense value. We are excited to have partnered with Intel for the launch of their 11th Gen Intel Core processor, contributing to their business success, and look forward to working with them on many more such campaigns in the future,” said Devika Sharma, Director - Sales, Glance.

Recently, Glance launched Glance LIVE, a live content streaming service on smartphone lock screens. Glance LIVE aims to bring users the best of live content from some of India’s top content partners, across categories like entertainment, sports, current affairs, gaming, music, and commerce.

About Glance   

Founded in 2019, Glance is a consumer internet company that has created two of India’s largest digital content platforms, Glance and Roposo. Glance enables an estimated 175 million users across India and Southeast Asia to experience the ‘live internet’ on the lock screen of their smart phones. Roposo, a live entertainment commerce app, is India’s first dedicated destination for creator-led, live streaming commerce. Glance also owns full-stack e-commerce company Shop101 and is a majority shareholder in Glance Collective, which co-creates consumer brands across categories with leading celebrities and creators. Funded by Google and Mithril Partners, Glance is an unconsolidated subsidiary of InMobi. For more information visit glance.com   

About Intel

Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) is an industry leader, creating world-changing technology that enables global progress and enriches lives. Inspired by Moore’s Law, we continuously work to advance the design and manufacturing of semiconductors to help address our customers’ greatest challenges. By embedding intelligence in the cloud, network, edge and every kind of computing device, we unleash the potential of data to transform business and society for the better. To learn more about Intel’s innovations, go to newsroom.intel.com and intel.com.

© Intel Corporation. Intel, the Intel logo and other Intel marks are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

Blue Dart Announces Q2 Results With New All-Time Highs For Revenue And Earnings

* Revenue up by 30%; the EBITDA margin at 15%  

Blue Dart Express Limited, South Asia's premier express air and integrated transportation & Distribution Company, declared its financial results today for the quarter ended September 30 2021, at its Board Meeting held in Mumbai today. 

The company posted ?895 million profit after tax (previous year corresponding quarter was at ?414 million) for the quarter ended September 30, 2021; Revenue from operations for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 stood at ?11,236 million. Revenue from operations for the half year ended September 30, 2021 stood at ?19,884 million and profit after tax at ?1,189 million. 

Balfour Manuel, Managing Director, Blue Dart says, “The company witnessed strong pull back in demand during the quarter as wave II of pandemic started slowing down. All economic indicators like GDP growth, Index for Industrial Production, GST collections etc. reflected strong recovery. Growth during the quarter is testimony to heightened business activities of key industrial verticals.” 

Revenues during the quarter stood at ?11,236 Mn with a growth of 30% over previous year same quarter, sequentially quarter revenue growth is at 30%. EBITDA for the quarter is ?1,690 Mn, a growth of 46.6% over last year. EBITDA margin was also improved to 14.96% as compared to previous year at 13.31%. Revenues for the half year stood at ?19,884 Mn with growth of 55% over previous year. EBITDA at ?2,582 Mn which was negative ?7 Mn last year. Consolidated EBITDA margin for the quarter stood at 22%. Healthy top-line growth with better realization, continued cost efficiency program and financial re-engineering helped the company to improve its margin. The company together with its wholly owned subsidiary paid off majority of bank borrowings during the quarter which would help company in reducing its finance cost. Recently, Blue Dart Aviation purchased one more leased aircraft in its pursuit of improving efficiency to create value for stakeholders. 

Pandemic during last quarter created unprecedented situation in the Country. Without much bothering about adverse situation, Blue Darters played vital role in reaching medicines, testing equipment and other emergency material which was highly appreciated by the customers. To appreciate their efforts, the company has proposed a token ex-gratia payment of €300 equivalent in rupee term to all employees except senior management. A cost of ?359.50 million towards ex-gratia has been recognised in the current quarter financials as exceptional item.  

During the quarter, the Company successfully launched the Blue Dart Med-Express Consortium, which leverages the use of drone technology to provide a robust healthcare infrastructure to the interiors of the nation. 

The organisation’s commitments to being a ‘Great Company to Work for’ All and a ‘Highly Trusted Company’ focusing on Diversity & Inclusion remains unfaltering. Blue Dart has always believed in providing equal employment opportunities to all those who are willing to contribute towards the brand’s success. Company is working on sustainable solutions to reduce carbon emission including deploying electrical vehicles, reducing paper consumption, green facilities etc. The company has also planted over 555,000 trees to offset carbon footprint. Blue Dart is committed to its highest standard of compliance under its ESG journey. 

Exceptional Service Quality remains one of the organization’s major pivots alongside automation and technology, providing customers a one-stop, hassle-free solution to all their logistics requirements. In its journey to delight customers, the company carried 116.25 million shipments weighing 422,933 tons during the half year ended September 30, 2021. 

Government’s focus on improving infrastructure like constructions of new roads including dedicated corridors, logistics parks, economic zones, dedicated rail corridors, waterways is expected to smoothen movement of goods. Further, schemes like “Make in India” “Atmanirbhar Bharat” extension of PLI scheme to various sectors is likely to give boost to economic activities. Strong vaccination drive by the Government is also expected to improve pandemic situation. All these initiatives are expected to boost overall economic scenario in the Country. Blue Dart with its air and ground infrastructure, passionate Blue Darters and world class service delivery experience is well poised to encash the opportunity sustainably.  

About Blue Dart: 

Blue Dart Express Ltd., South Asia's premier express air and integrated transportation & distribution company, offers secure and reliable delivery of consignments to over 35,000 locations in India. As part of Deutsche Post DHL Group’s DHL eCommerce Solutions division, Blue Dart accesses the largest and most comprehensive express and logistics network worldwide, covering over 220 countries & territories, and offers an entire spectrum of distribution services including air express, freight forwarding, supply chain solutions, customs clearance etc. 

The Blue Dart team drives market leadership through its motivated people, dedicated air and ground capacity, cutting-edge technology, a wide range of innovative, vertical-specific products and value-added services to deliver unmatched standards of service quality to its customers. Blue Dart's market leadership is further validated by its position as the nation’s most innovative and awarded express logistics company for exhibiting reliability, superior brand experience and sustainability which include recognition as one of ‘India's Best Companies to Work For’ by The Great Place to Work® Institute, India, ranked amongst ‘Best Multinational Workplaces in Asia’ by The Great Place to Work® Institute, Asia, voted a ‘Superbrand’ and ‘Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Brand’, listed as one of Fortune 500’s ‘India's Largest Corporations’ and Forbes ‘India's Super 50 Companies’ to name a few. 

Under the DHL Group motto of “Connecting People, Improving Lives”, we focus our corporate responsibility under three pillars - GoTeach (Championing education), GoGreen (Protecting the environment) and GoHelp (Structures engagement with communities & Disaster management response).  

Hero Motocorp Sells 5.48 Lakh Units Of Mototcycles & Scooters In October 2021

* BRINGS FESTIVE DELIGHT WITH NEW PRODUCT OFFERINGS -  XTREME 160R STEALTH EDITION, XPULSE 200 4 VALVE, PLEASURE+ XTEC

Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, sold 547,970 units of two-wheelers in October 2021. 

This is a sequential growth over the volume sales in the month of September, when Hero MotoCorp despatched 530,346 units of motorcycles and scooters, indicating a gradual recovery in the economy.

Demand in the festive season has been building up as we move towards Dhanteras and Diwali, and we expect healthy retail over the coming weeks. With the economy gradually opening up with several other positive indicators, such as encouraging farm activity and surge in preference for personal mobility, a swift revival in sales is expected in the coming months. 

In line with its commitment towards bringing youthful products for its customers, Hero MotoCorp introduced a range of new two-wheelers during the month of October. The Company has brought two exciting additions to its ‘X’-range of premium portfolio - the Xtreme 160R Stealth Edition and XPulse 200 4 Valve. The Company’s scooter range also got a festive cheer with the new Pleasure+ XTec. 

With international markets gradually opening-up, Hero MotoCorp has also accelerated its global expansion plans. During the month, the Company inaugurated its new exclusive dealership in Dubai, further strengthening its presence in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

Continuing with its efforts to bring relief to COVID-19 affected families, Hero MotoCorp has launched a unique welfare initiative in the states of Haryana, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan. The initiative aims to support women from the affected families with livelihood opportunities, access to food and nutrition, and education for their children. 

                   Oct’ 21   Oct’20            YTD FY’22              YTD FY’21

Motorcycles   5,05,957  7,32,498        27,99,698      29,39,553 

Scooters           42,013      74,350           2,11,402        2,45,246 

Total        5,47,970 8,06,848        30,11,100      31,84,799 

Domestic        5,27,779   7,91,137        28,34,293      31,02,391 

Exports           20,191      15,711           1,76,807           82,408 

Bayer CropScience Limited Reports Q2 Results For FY 2021-22

 

* Revenue from Operations of ₹13,651 million

* Profit Before Tax of ₹2,195 million

Bayer CropScience Limited (BSE: 506285) announced today its unaudited results for the quarter (Q2) and half year ended (H1) September 30, 2021.

For Q2 ended September 30, 2021, Bayer CropScience Limited (BCSL) registered Revenue from Operations of ₹13,651 million as compared to ₹13,816 million in the corresponding period of FY 2020-21. Profit Before Exceptional Items and Tax stood at ₹2,195 million, compared to ₹2,960 million in the corresponding period of the previous financial year.

For the H1 ended September 30, 2021, BCSL reported Revenue from Operations of ₹27,810 million compared to ₹26,094 million for the corresponding period in FY 2020-21. Profit Before Exceptional Items and Tax for the H1 ended September 30, 2021 stood at ₹5,395 million, compared to ₹6,098 million for the corresponding period in FY 2020-21.

Speaking about the financial results, D. Narain, CEO & Managing Director of Bayer CropScience Limited, said, “Our half-yearly revenue growth of 7% was primarily driven by Crop Protection products including the herbicide Roundup™ and new product launches while our second quarter revenue declined by 1% compared to last year. Overall profitability was impacted by a challenging season for our Corn Seeds portfolio and pressure on margins in our Crop Protection business. The Kharif Corn season witnessed a drop in acreages owing to lower relative profitability of Corn for the grower versus other crops, as well as some weather-related events leading to higher seeds returns in the second quarter. Crop Protection business was impacted by higher material & logistics costs and product mix, partially offset by product price increases. Given unseasonal rains and subsequent slowing of liquidation in late September, we consciously reduced our channel placements.”

D. Narain added, “We will continue to focus our investments on capacity building programs for smallholder farmers in India, especially through the continuing expansion of the Better Life Farming program and new business models such as eCommerce and Food Chain Partnerships. With drones now being available for agriculture, we look forward to accelerating innovations that foster precision farming, resource efficiencies and sustainability.”

This year marks also 125 years of Bayer’s presence in India. The Company has made significant contributions towards advancing agriculture and healthcare in the country while promoting inclusive and sustainable growth through innovation. To commemorate Bayer’s presence in India for 125 years, the Board of Directors of Bayer CropScience Limited (BSE: 506285) declared a special dividend for the financial year ending March 31, 2022 amounting to ₹ 125/- per equity share for 44,942,092 Equity Shares of ₹10/- each. The record date for the purpose of determining the entitlement for payment of special dividend is fixed as November 13, 2021.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to drive sustainable development and generate a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability, and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2020, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 41.4 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 4.9 billion euros. For more information, please visit www.bayer.com.

Add A Creative Sparkle To Your Diwali With Snapchat's AR Lenses, Bitmois, Festive Filters & More!

For Diwali 2021, Snapchat encourages its community to share their light for the world to see. It’s the sharing of hopes and dreams for the year to come, the sharing of ageless traditions passed down through generations and sharing the love and passion for colour and life.

Snapchat is all set to make Diwali celebrations brighter by introducing several new AR Lenses, cameos, stickers , games, Bitmoji’s to usher in the festival spirit.

On using Snapchat’s AR powered lens that activates based on wishes & greetings, your screen will light-up with firecrackers promising to elevate your Diwali experience.  Adding to the festive mood, Snapchatters will also get to experience a custom Diwali design to Snap Map that will feature lanterns and fireworks!

Commenting on the special festive offerings, Durgesh Kaushik, Head of Market Development, Snap Inc., India, said, “‘At Snap, we are focused on localizing the app experience for our Snapchatter community in India. Last year, Indian Snapchatters viewed our Diwali AR experiences over 430M times and this year we have introduced a range of exciting creative tools for our community to engage with. This year, our theme for Diwali is about sharing your light for the world to see and we hope the immersive experiences that we have created will make this Diwali really special for you and your loved ones.”

In the run-up to Diwali, Snap has also launched new Bitmojis around popular Diwali delicacies along with custom Hindi Bitmoji Stickers. The community will have access to hyperlocal geofilters across  20 cities in India to celebrate Diwali within local neighbourhoods, popular shopping streets, landmark locations and more. Snapchat has also introduced mini-occasion specific Lenses to celebrate all 5 days of Diwali- Bhai Dooj, Govardhan Puja, Dhanteras, and Chhoti Diwali and can also use a Diwali-themed version of the highly-popular Cartoon Lens.

That’s not all; Snapchatters will also have access to a fun and celebratory ‘Desi Music’ playlist on Sounds allowing you to add music to your Snaps.  Giving all gamers a Diwali twist, “ Color Together” game on Snap has launched four Diwali special sketches skin that users will be able to play.

With Snapchat there is something for everyone - whether it is showcasing individual creativity or uniquely celebrating with friends and family. Snapchat creates a unique and fun filled festival vibe on its platform for every festival. Diwali being one of the biggest festivals celebrated in India - Snapchat innovates every year with new and fresh concepts like Diwali themes takeovers that helps bring its community closer together.

Unity Small Finance Bank Limited Commences Business Operations

Unity Small Finance Bank Limited (Unity Bank), has commenced operations. Having complied with all requisite regulatory approvals, the Bank has begun operations in record time, with a quick turnaround from the RBI’s approval received on October 12, 2021. Unity Bank is founded by Centrum Financial Services Limited (Centrum), the established and profitable small business lending arm of the Centrum Group and Resilient Innovations Private Limited (BharatPe), one of India's fastest-growing fintech companies. 

Unity Bank will be a digital first bank with a business model of collaboration and open architecture, uniting all its stakeholders to deliver a seamless digital experience. The Bank commences operations with Centrum’s successful MSME and Micro Finance businesses and teams, a capital infusion of approx. Rs 1,100 crores, total assets of about Rs 2400 crores, active customer base of over 2 lakhs, 145 offices including a branch in Centrum House, Mumbai, getting off to a strong start. 

Jaspal Bindra, Executive Chairman, Centrum Group, said “We thank the RBI for giving us approval to commence operations at Unity Bank. We aim to make it a truly New Age Bank. The Bank is well capitalized, significantly higher than the minimum regulatory requirement, giving us the platform to build a robust technological infrastructure, hire the best talent and work with credible vendor partners. The combined expertise of Centrum and BharatPe, business strengths and our proven success, will provide a strong foundation to drive growth in the Bank.”

“I would like to sincerely thank the Reserve Bank of India for granting us the approvals for commencing the operations of Unity Bank. We are committed to work tirelessly to build India’s first truly Digital Bank. With the capitalization and approvals in place, we will now focus on building tech-first products that will redefine the way India banks.”, added Ashneer Grover, Co-Founder and Managing Director, BharatPe.